How it Should have Been
by queenb9728
Summary: Takes place during Deathly Hallows. When Ron leaves, Harry and Hermione find a way to cope. The absence of their best friend brings them together in a way neither of them had thought about before. What starts out as just a coping mechanism quickly blossoms into something more. Discover how the story would have changed had the Harry/Hermione relationship taken place.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a little story that has been bouncing around in my head since J.K. Rowling announced that Harry and Hermione were better suited for each other than Hermione and Ron. I finally decided to get it out of my head and put it on paper. This is a Harry and Hermione story, so if you don't like that pairing, I would advise you not to read it. I am less familiar with this writing style, so please bear with me. Please review, I am going to need all the feedback I can get with this story. I want to know what you like, and what you think I can improve on. Fair warning, Harry and Hermione will probably be a little OOC, but I'm going to do my best to keep the true to their characters, while making them work with my plot. A big thank you to my wonderful editor and best friend, Artemis Rose, who helped me make this a million times better than it was when I first wrote it. Finally, there will be some quotes from the book. Those are bold, and in italics. I have no rights to those, or to these characters, or some plot dynamics that will come up later. Basically, if you recognize it, it belongs to J.K. Rowling.**

**_ "What are you doing?"_** Ron asked Hermione.

**_ "What do you mean?"_**

**_ "Are you staying, or what?"_**

**_ "I . . ." She looked anguished. "Yes—yes, I'm staying. Ron, we said we'd go with Harry, we said we'd help—"_**

**_ "I get it. You choose him."_**

**_ "Ron, no—please—come back, come back!"_**

**_ She was impeded by her own Shield Charm; by the time she had removed it he had already stormed into the night. Harry stood quite still and silent, listening to her sobbing and calling Ron's name amongst the trees._**

**_ After a few minutes she returned, her sopping hair plastered to her face. _**

**_ "He's g-g-gone! Disappareted!"_**

**_ She threw herself into a chair, curled up, and started to cry._**

Harry looked at his best friend, and clearly saw the pain she was feeling. He felt the same way. How could Ron do this to them? He was supposed to be their friend, and he just abandoned them like that. In that moment, Harry realized that he only had one real friend in the world. And she was sitting in front of him, in a chair, crying.

Harry walked up to her, "Hermione?"

Her response was continuing to sob into the upholstery.

"Hermione?" he tried again.

She continued to cry, without acknowledging Harry's presence.

Harry couldn't take being ignored anymore. He was upset too, but not only at Ron's abandonment. He was upset at how it was affecting Hermione, and all he wanted to do was help. It's not that Harry was afraid of tears. With everything he had gone through in the last few years, Harry could handle tears. He didn't like them, but he could deal with them.

He knelt down next to his best friend, who had given up so much to come on this journey with him. "Hermione?" he asked for the third time.

She finally looked up, her face all red and splotchy with tears running down her cheeks.

"Oh, Hermione," Harry said, wrapping his arms around her. "I'm so sorry."

Hermione just continued to cry, burying her face in his shoulder. Her body shook with each sob that escaped. He stroked her back, trying to comfort her. He wanted her to know how much he appreciated her staying with him, and he put those unspoken words into each caress of her back.

After a few minutes of kneeling, Harry's knees were starting to protest. Without a word, he scooped Hermione up, and sat in the chair, resting her on his lap. If she noticed, she didn't say anything. Instead, she continued to cry and stain his shirt with the saltwater of her tears.

Harry let her weep, wishing there was something he could do to make her feel better, but nothing came to mind. All he could do was continue to hold her, and sit in a shared grief.

After what felt like hours, Hermione had cried herself out. Her eyes were still puffy, and her face was still red, but there were no more tears making their way down her face.

She looked up Harry, and he could see the hurt in her brown eyes, "I'm so sorry, Harry."

"Shh," Harry told her. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"But…"

"No," he said firmly. "Absolutely nothing."

She nodded, looking at her lap, on which her hands were resting. Tears started to brim up in her eyes again.

Harry didn't want the tears to start again. He cared about Hermione and hated to see her in pain. In the heat of the moment, Harry did something that he didn't expect. Seeing the sadness etched on Hermione's face, he cupped his hand under her chin, and turned her head to face him. Their eyes met, hers displaying surprise as he brought their faces closer and closer together until their lips met.

The moment their lips met Harry felt an almost tangible spark between them and a flash of heat coursed through his body. The feel of Hermione's lips on his was dizzying and effectively turned his brain to mush. But, through the haze, he felt a twinge of guilt. How could he do this to her now? She had just essentially had her heart broken by their mutual best friend and he felt as if he was taking advantage of her pain and using her emotions. It was wrong.

With this realization, Harry pulled away. "I'm sorry," he apologized, looking away from her. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's okay," she replied. Harry continued to avoid her gaze. "I'm serious," she told him, bringing his face around so their eyes met once again.

"You're not mad?" he asked, his voice hopeful. He didn't think he could take another one of his friends abandoning him tonight.

"I'm not mad," Hermione reassured him. "I thought it was sweet."

Harry chuckled, "that's what I was going for."

Hermione smiled, before the frown made it's way onto her mouth. "Now it's my turn to be sorry."

"Nope," Harry said, adamantly. "I told you, you have nothing to be sorry for."

"Thanks," she responded, a small smile crept onto her face again, but didn't reach her eyes.

In a moment of pure desperation to ease his friend's pain, Harry once again, brought his lips to hers, this time with much more force. She seemed surprised for a moment, but soon she was kissing him back. Their lips moved together in ways Harry had never imagined possible. His arms wrapped around her body, pulling Hermione as close to him as she could possibly be, while her hands held his face against hers, refusing to break the spell they were under.

Finally, the need for air overwhelmed them, and they broke apart.

"Hermione," Harry started, trying to catch his breath.

"Harry James Potter, don't you dare say you're sorry!" Hermione yelled. Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione cut him off. "Because I am not sorry! I'm not sorry one bit!" And with that, she kissed him again, this time it was less frantic and filled with more tenderness.

The sweetness quickly turned heated as their kissing deepened. Harry trailed his lips down her throat, eventually kissing her neck.

"Hermione," he breathed, as he brought his mouth back to hers.

As their kisses intensified further, Harry felt Hermione's legs wrap around his waist, holding her to him. He stood up, and carried her towards the bed. He lowered her down, without breaking the kiss. His hands moved to the bottom of her shirt.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked, looking into Hermione's eyes.

She nodded, and soon they were joined together in every way possible.

**What did you think? Any and all feedback is helpful.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, it's been forever since I even attempted to write anything, but recently I felt the need to expand on this a little bit. Here is what I came up with, over a year after Chapter 1. Major thanks to my editor, Artemis Rose for sitting with me and reworking what started off as what read like the beginning of a bad porno. Hope you all enjoy!**

Chapter 2

The next morning, Harry woke to discover that he was in bed alone.

"Oh no," he sighed, running his fingers through his hair. Hermione had left him. He was on his own in this fight now.

Harry was just about to roll over and try to sleep away his depression, when he heard a noise coming from the opposite side of the tent.

"Hermione?" he called out, hoping that she was still there.

"In here, Harry," she replied, calling from the kitchen. Harry let out a sigh of relief as he realized he wasn't alone after all. Hermione was still there; she was still going to help him.

Harry threw on some pants and a shirt before heading into the kitchen. He didn't bother to try and hide the smile on his face as he walked in. He was so relieved that she was still there; he couldn't put it into words.

When Harry arrived, he discovered Hermione finishing up some scrambled eggs she must have picked up for breakfast.

"Hey," he began, testing the waters.

"Hi," she smiled, setting his plate of eggs down in front of him, but deliberately avoiding his gaze.

"How are you this morning?"

"I'm fine," she responded, still not looking at him. She sat down to eat her breakfast across from him.

"Hermione?" Harry tried again, putting his hand on top of hers.

She finally met his eyes, "yes?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I said I'm fine, Harry," she replied, with an exasperated tone. She removed her hand from underneath his.

"Hermione," Harry started, refusing to take any more of her attitude. "Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong. I think I know you well enough to tell when you're okay and when you're not."

"It's nothing…"

"Hermione," Harry asked, hoping to finally get to the bottom of what was troubling her. "This has something to do with what happened last night?"

Hermione sighed, "yes, Harry, it does."

"Then, we should talk about it."

"I feel like that was such a mistake…" Hermione began, hesitantly.

"You think so?" he asked. All he could remember feeling last night after they were finished was happiness. He finally felt at peace, and drifted off to sleep, with dreams of Hermione.

"Yes, Harry," Hermione said, pulling him out of his thoughts. "I don't blame you. Ron had just left, and I was upset. You comforted me the only way you knew how. I just think it was in the heat of the moment, and we shouldn't let it happen again." She looked on the verge of tears.

"Yeah," Harry agreed, not really meaning a word of it. "The heat of the moment…"

"I just don't want us to ruin our friendship," Hermione looked at him, tears streaming down her face.

"Hey," Harry met her gaze. "That will never happen. I promise. You're stuck with me."

Hermione gave him a watery smile, the tears continuing to flow. "I really shouldn't have let my emotions get the better of me last night."

"It happens to the best of us," Harry replied, thinking of what he could do to stop those tears. "You know, when I didn't see you this morning, I thought you had left."

This makes Hermione cry even harder. "Oh, Harry, I couldn't leave you."

She awkwardly leaned across the table to kiss him on the cheek, but in that moment, Harry moved slightly and their lips met. At first he was afraid she would pull away. However, after a moment of stunned surprise, she began kissing him back. Their lips moved together in a way that seemed almost better than all of the kisses they had shared the night before.

Suddenly, the separation that was caused by the table became too much. The rift that was present a few moments before disappeared, and the need for closeness took over. They broke apart for a moment, and Hermione smiled at him as she walked around the table, parking herself on his lap. Their lips met once again, and in passion became tangible.

In a matter of moments, Hermione led him to the bed, and they picked up where they left off last night.

Harry lay in bed with his arms around Hermione, tracing little patterns along her arm. There was nothing he wanted more than to stay like that forever, lounging all day with the woman he loved.

"Hmmm," he sighed, kissing her hair.

"What?" she asked, a small giggle in her voice.

"I'm just thinking about how nice it feels to be lying here with you. It makes me happy."

Hermione let out a full-blown, schoolgirl-like giggle this time. "Yeah, me too."

"I thought you said this was a mistake," Harry raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"I did. That doesn't mean I don't like it."

"So, do you still think it's a mistake?" Harry prepared himself for the rejection he was sure was about to come.

"It's complicated…" she started.

And there it was, the rejection. Harry thought he would be able to handle this, but whether he liked to admit it or not, Harry was in love with Hermione and having her not reciprocate those feelings crushed him in a way he could not explain. He untangled his arms from around her, and looked at the canvas wall of the tent.

As soon as he released her, Hermione sat up, clutching the sheets to her chest. "Harry, look at me."

He didn't even so much as acknowledge her statement, instead choosing to fixate his eyes on the tent.

"Harry," Hermione grabbed his chin with one had (the other was still supporting the sheets), and turned his face to look at her. "'It's complicated' does not mean 'yes.'"

"Then what does it mean?" His voice was bitter.

"It means 'it's complicated!'"

"Well, what's complicated about it? Either you think what we did was a mistake or you don't. That doesn't sound so complicated to me!"

"It's not that simple!"

"Why not?"

"Because! We were both very emotional! Our best friend had just walked out on us and we both needed to escape that pain for a little while, and-"

"Why are you trying to use the same arguments you were giving me before we had sex, again, this morning?" Harry said, feeling irritation rise within him. If she didn't love him, he needed her to tell him instead of giving him this run around.

"They are still true!" Hermione was crying now, her eyes buried in her one free hand.

This broke Harry. He hated nothing more than to see her cry, and he'd seen Hermione shed a lot of tears in the past twenty-four hours. "Shh, shh, don't cry. I'm sorry. You're right." He pulled her back down to him, once again encircling his arms around her, holding her close.

"I don't think it's a mistake because of you," Hermione whispered, lifting her head from her hands.

"Can I ask why then?" If he wasn't the problem, Harry wanted to know what was.

"We are in the middle of fighting a war. We have Horcruxes to find. Ron is furious at us, and, if we survive this thing, I can only imagine how upset he'd be if he found out. I just don't think it's a good idea to start anything right now, no matter how I'm feeling." Harry looked into her eyes and saw all the fear that was there, but he thought he saw something else: longing.

He took a deep breath before starting. "Yes, there is a war going on, and we do need to be focused on finding the Horcruxes, but that doesn't mean that our entire lives should be put on hold. You and I are going to have to work together to find them, so as long as we don't let our relationship distract us from that goal, I don't see any reason that we can't pursue it. As for Ron, I don't know that he is still our friend, as much as it hurts me to say that. But if he is, I would hope that he would be happy for us, as long as we're happy. Ron's a good guy. Plus, we might not get out of this alive, so if we don't explore our feelings now, we may never get the chance. " He paused for a moment to let her take in everything he had said, hoping she really understood that he was putting all his emotions out there. "I love you, Hermione, and I don't want to miss the opportunity to love you because we are too scared." He ran his hand down her cheek.

"I love you too, Harry," she breathed, before bringing her lips to his.

"I could get used to this," Harry thought as their kissing intensified before passion took over his brain and the two, once again, were united in the sweet act of love.


End file.
